Iron oxide flotation process



Patented Aug. 19, 1952 RO D T Q O E I .lames A. ,B arr-, Jr., Evanston, 111., assi gnor to Armour and Company, Chicago, Ill., a corpora- ,tion' of No'DraWing. Application August 30, 1946,

Serial No. 694,170 v This invention relates to an iron oxide flotation process, and more particularly to the use of an improved collector, agent in the flotation of iron oxide ore from siliceous'gangue minerals.

In the flotation of iron oxide from siliceous gangue minerals, certain sulfonated or sulfated oils have been employed, including tall oil; and

with varying degrees ofsuccess Tall oi1,i which 2 Claims. (01. 209 166) anyother source, is effectively employed. "1"he flotation operation is the same as that ordinarily erirployedv except with'respect to the particular flotationycollector described, and it is believed,

is obtained from the lblack liq'uor residue of pulp wood in the manufacture of paper is available commercially in large quantities, but the product has not been very successful as a collector material in the flotation of iron oxides.

I have discovered that when tall oil is frac tionated to produce a fraction which is rich in linoleic acid and this fraction is then sulfated or sulfonated, an unusually effective collector is provided for use in the flotation of iron oxides. I have further discovered that the new advantages in yield and effectiveness as a collector are obtained by reason of th linoleic acid content of the product and that linoleic acid obtained from any source, when sulfated or sulfonated, (becomes extremely efficient as a flotation collector for iron oxide ore.

An object of this invention is to provide a process for the flotation of iron oxideore from siliceous gangue mineral in which sulfated or sulfonated linoleic acid derived from any source is employed as a collector. A further object is to provide a process in which a fraction of tall oil which is rich in linoleic acid, containing more than the natural concentration of linoleic acid in tall oil, is sulfated or sulfonated and employed as a collector in the flotation of iron oxide. Yet another object is to provide a process in which tall oil from which the abietic acid has been substantially removed, is sulfonated or sulfated and the resulting product employed as a flotation collector for iron oxide ore. Yet another object is to provide a process for the flotation of iron oxide ore from siliceous gangue minerals in which a sulfonated or sulfated fatty acid containing multiple double bonds is employed as a collector agent. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

My new process, in one embodiment, comprises the use of a sulfated or sulfonated fatty acid containing multiple double bonds. In the flotation of iron oxide ore from siliceous gangue minerals, the mixture is passed through the usual flotation circuits and aerated to bring the oxideo'arrying froth to the surface for removal. Linoleic acid, whether derived from tall oil or from therefore, :that a detailed description of the flotation steps; as ordinarily practiced need not beset out in detail herein.v I

Because of the large quantities of tall oil available as a by-product of the paper industry and.

because of certain desirable qualities of. tall oil with respect to coating the surface of the iron oxide ore, I prefer to employ a sulfated or sulfonated tall oil fraction which is rich in linoleic acid. For example, tall oil may be fractionally v distilled to obtain separately various fractions,

some of which contain no linoleic acid and others of which contain materials which are undesired for the flotation process. For example, the bulk of the rosin or abietic acid may be removed in the distillation process, and the remainder of the product which is rich in linoleic acid may be employed successfully in the process. Further, the palmitic acid and some unsaponifiable matter obtained as a low boiling fraction may be removed. The pitch, which is naturally obtained as a residue product in the fractional distillation, may also be eliminated. The remaining fraction is rich in linoleic acid, containing more than twice th natural concentration of linoleic acid in the tall oil, and the product when sulfonated or sulfated, is unusually effective as a collector material in the flotation process.

In the fractional distillation of tall oil, a fraction is readily obtained which contains oleic acid and linoleic acid, together with a litttle abietic acid. This fraction may be fractionally crystallized with a suitable solvent, such, as for example, acetone, and after the removal of the solid fraction there is obtained a product which is-extremely' rich in linoleic acid. This product after sulfonation or sulfation is extremely efficient as a flotation collector for iron oxide ore in removing it from siliceous gangue minerals.

As specific examples, the following may be set out:

The iron oxide mixed with siliceous gangue minerals, as recovered from the mine, was ground to the usual mesh fineness and pulped with water in the flotation circuit and in contact with a collector comprising a sulfonated tall oil fraction consisting principally of linoleic acid mixed with oleic acid. Air was introduced in the usual manner at the bottom of the flotation cell and the froth formed carried the iron oxide ore to 3 which the sulfonated tall oil fraction was attached to the surface.

In a second example, the procedure was the same as that stated in the above example except that the collector agent consisted of sulfated tall oil from which abietic acid had been removed.

In a third example, the \process was the same as described in example one above? but the collector was sulfonated linoleic acid.

As a standard of comparison for the above tests, I carried through a similar operation which was identical with example one except that fonated crude tall oil was mployed asth lector.

The yields obtained oleic acid and of the fractions of tall oil rich in linoleic acid greatly exceeded the :yields, 91% tained by the use of sulfonated tall oil, demonstrating that the efficient recovery of iron oxide from the siliceous gangue minerals wasdue'to the predominance of lino-leic acid in the sulionated or sulfa'te'd material.

" "ilfindth'at the'efiective material in the flotation step isthe sulfo'nat ed or sulfate'd 'f attir'facid c ntaining multiple double'bonds} anw'aii fatty acids' of thi's' characte'r respond as effic'ient flotation collectors with respect toiron oxide; T

While in the iforegoing descriptiori'I' have set forth certain embodimentsoftheinvention as illustrative in consi deralble' ldetailfit will be understood that such details may be varied widely by those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a process for the separation of iron oxide from siliceous gangue minerals in a flotation operation, the steps of subjecting the ground 'irfiiieralsxirfiwater to lgliia motoaf'collector "l'ectedfro th" group fconsistihg'of *sulfonated and sulfated tall oil fractions having a content or linoleic acid greater than that occurring natin tall oil, and from which the bulk of the abietic acid has been removed.

' :2; In'j'a -proc star the separation of iron oxide from ili ce engue minerals in a flotation operationf'th steps of subjecting th ground minerals in? waterto the action of a collector sev lcted from the grouplconsisting of sulfated and sul iona ted tall oil fractions consisting predominantly of linoleic-acid.

e JAMES a. BARR, an.

BEFVERENQCVES I CITED Date 7 SeptrlB; 1945 Jane'21 -1947 

1. IN A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF IRON OXIDE FROM SILICEOUS GANGUE MINERALS IN A FLOTATION OPERATION, THE STEPS, OF SUBJECTING THE GROUND MINERALS IN WATER TO THE ACTION OF A COLLECTOR SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SULFONATED AND SULFATED TALL OIL FRACTIONS HAVING A CONTENT OF LINOLEIC ACID GREATER THAN THAT OCCURRING NATURALLY IN TALL OIL, AND FROM WHICH THE BULK OF THE ABIETIC ACID HAS BEEN REMOVED. 